title: Establishment of the mild, moderate and severe dry eye models using three methods in rabbits.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dry eye (DE) is a common eye disease, and appropriate animal models are essential to explore the pathogenesis and therapy of DE. In this study, we aimed to establish rabbit models by three methods.
  
  
  METHODS
  In group A, the lacrimal gland, Harderian gland, and nictitating membrane of the left eyes were surgically removed. In group B, the bulbar conjunctiva of the left eyes was burned with 50% trichloroacetic acid. In group C, both methods above were used. The right eyes served as normal controls. The Schirmer I test (SIt), fluorescein staining, and impression cytology were evaluated at baseline and on days 28, 42, and 56.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both the SIt and goblet cell density were significantly lower in operated eyes compared to the control eyes, while the corneal fluorescein staining scores in the operated eyes were significantly higher than in the control eyes on days 28, 42, and 56 (p < 0.05, p < 0.01 or p < 0.001). The SIt and goblet cell densities in groups B and C were significantly lower than group A on days 28, 42, and 56 (p < 0.05, p < 0.01 or p < 0.001). In addition, the corneal fluorescein staining scores in group C were significantly higher than either group A or group B on days 28, 42, and 56, while fluorescein staining scores were higher in group B than group A on days 42 and 56 days (p < 0.05, p < 0.01 or p < 0.001), with mean score 3.8 ± 1.30 (group A), 7.4 ± 1.14 (group B) and 10.8 ± 1.30 (group C) on day 56.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggest that three separate DE models, with mild, moderate, and severe manifestations of DE, could be stably established, in which conjunctival goblet cells took an important role.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, 54 Xianlie Road South, Guangzhou 510060, China. dengxg61@163.net.
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xinguo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Shihua
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Meifeng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Dongqing
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002057:Burns, Chemical / Q000473:pathology; D002452:Cell Count; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D003315:Cornea / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015352:Dry Eye Syndromes / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D019793:Fluorescein / Q000378:metabolism; D020397:Goblet Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D006243:Harderian Gland / Q000601:surgery; D007765:Lacrimal Apparatus / Q000601:surgery; D011817:Rabbits; D013666:Tears / Q000378:metabolism; D014238:Trichloroacetic Acid / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D014238:Trichloroacetic Acid; D019793:Fluorescein